During the dog days of late summer, fishing can get pretty brutal. It’s common for fish to move away from shoreline structure, and if you don’t have forward-facing sonar, it can feel like you’re simply out of luck. But that’s not really true, just ask the Griz (Dick Grzywinski).
For the last nine summers, this legendary fishing guide has figured out a red-hot northern pike bite that most anglers overlook. During this time of year panfish head for deep water and “Christmas tree up,” as the Griz puts it. This brings predatory pike out to deep water with them.
The way to catch these feeding pike is to troll deep-diving crankbaits on lead-core line (which is usually used for trolling lake trout or salmon). Here’s how he does it.
Get your gear right. Here’s the setup that the Griz runs from a big trolling rod:
Head for deep water. The Griz targets water that’s 17 to 23 feet deep. He lets out about 90 to 100 feet of line to allow his crankbait to run right along the bottom. You don’t want your bait to be dragging on the bottom, so if you feel it banging rocks or catching weeds, just crank up a little.
“Northerns will always come up after it,” the Griz says.
The hotter the better. This tactic works best when the air temp and water temp are hot, as that’s what pushes the panfish out to deep water. When the fishing is really good, Griz has caught more than 40 pike in a day using this tactic. But cold fronts can shut down the bite.
Change up your troll. Griz says his ideal troll speed is 3.5 miles per hour, and this doesn’t change. However, Griz varies his troll direction and suggests making loops. This changes the speed and direction of your bait, which is key to triggering strikes. Don’t just run in straight lines. Also try changing your trolling direction in relation to the wind. Sometimes fish will prefer trolling into the wind, other times you’ll get more bites going with the wind at your back.
Put keeper pike in a paper bag. Northerns are slimy. That’s one of the reasons people underestimate them as table fare. To de-slime his pike, the Griz puts them in a paper grocery bag, then puts that bag in a larger garbage bag, and stashes it all in a cooler. This keeps the fish from thrashing around, and it also works to pull the slime off of it, which helps with preparation and eventually taste.
Read Next: Secrets for Catching, Cleaning, and Frying Northern Pike — from a Fishing Legend
Cover lots of water. The real key to the Griz’s success over the years is persistence. He always catches fish because he simply refuses to come off the water until he’s caught ‘em. That sort of patience and determination is key to trolling. Some days you might catch two, some days you might boat 40.
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